Eventbrite is a do-it-yourself event management application that makes online event registration and promotion easy and affordable. A great tool for non-profits, professional organizations and any companies that hold training events, Eventbrite is a comprehensive application featuring built-in tools that are simple to use even for the technologically challenged.
Eventbrite breaks down event management into 3 basic tasks and gives you all the tools you need to fulfill each one. First you design and publish an online registration page for your event. You even create a personalized url to identify the web page so be sure to include keywords you want to rank with. The publish tool allows you to create early-bird pricing, different ticket types and even coupons. The management features are just as impressive and include quantity of available tickets, start/end dates and times for ticket sales, service fees, min/max tickets per order, donations, ticket description, and easy check-in tools like Name badges and bar-code scannable tickets to help you stay organized the day of the event.
Eventbrite takes an active role in promoting your event on major search engines and event directory and indexing sites including Google, Eventful, Ask, msn, Yahoo, oodle, zvents, Upcoming and Google Base. The service includes free customizable email invites, search listings, and website integration, allowing you to easily embed the entire registration form, ticket order form, or just the registration buttons on any web page. You can import contact lists, and send and track emails, ticket sales and attendees up to the minute with customizable, printable, and exportable reports.
There are some search engine optimization benefits you give up by using this tool and your event detail customization is limited, but if you do not have the budgets to custom build or you are testing the waters this may be a good platform to try.
Selling tickets is also integrated as all major credit cards are accepted with available options. Although the service is free to publish and distribute your event and tickets (great for small non-profits who are holding a free event), charges apply for ticket sales depending on the pricing option you select. These range seems to be from 1.9% plus 0.30 per transaction (with a PayPal or GoogleCheckout account) to 3.0% flat rate if Eventbrite manages everything. You get your ticket sales money right away and you don’t have to have a merchant account. Pretty convenient!
You can sign up for Eventbrite here.
Out of all of these (which have been awesome, btw) I think this is the one I would be least likely to use. If I’m going to the trouble of having an event, I want my own site handling the registrations. Just my opinion.
Great point Jason, and if budgets allowed, I also would recommend you have it on site and built to suit your specific needs / wants.